Limerick records highest number of motorists fined for parking on pavements in Munster

Munster accounted for just under 800, or 45%, of the 2,196 fixed charge notices issued nationwide between January 1 and June 30 this year

Statistics from An Garda Síochána show that some 354 fixed charge notices were issued to drivers in Limerick between January 1 and June 30 this year.

Limerick boasted the worst record in Munster for parking on public footpaths in the early months of 2025, according to new figures.

Statistics from An Garda Síochána show that some 354 fixed charge notices were issued to drivers in Limerick between January 1 and June 30 this year.

That puts the county ahead of all other Garda jurisdictions with the exception of the wider Dublin Metropolitan Region, which saw fines given to 902 people over the same time period.

Cork city and county meanwhile saw 240 penalty charges dished out to its drivers, putting it in third spot for the country behind only Limerick and the northern Dublin metropolitan region, which reported 243.

All told the Munster area accounted for just under 800, or 45%, of the 2,196 fixed charge notices issued nationwide over the six-month period for the particular offence.

Fixed charge notices for parking on footpaths are typically issued by either traffic wardens or gardaí and stand at €80 for an initial offence, a fee which gets doubled to €160 should the penalty not be paid within 28 days of the charge being issued.

Fixed charge notices for parking on footpaths are typically issued by either traffic wardens or gardaí and stand at €80 for an initial offence.

If 56 days pass without payment court proceedings are generally initiated.

The penalty for parking on pavements and in cycle and bus lanes was doubled from €40 to €80 by then Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan in 2022 in a bid to promote “a more considerate use of road space”.

Parking on footpaths typically poses an obstacle and causes issues for vulnerable road users such as wheelchair users or people pushing buggies.

Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly, to whom the figures were provided, said he had requested them as he wanted to see how widespread the problem is nationwide after a number of his constituents had raised the issue.

“They were vulnerable road users with visual impairments, and they couldn't understand why people chose to park their cars for a minute or two, or maybe at times for longer, in order to go into the local shop or whatever that is,” he said.

“We’d appeal to people that if they're going to choose to make such a reckless decision they’d think about the consequences for others." 

Parking on footpaths typically poses an obstacle and causes issues for vulnerable road users such as wheelchair users or people pushing buggies.

Mr Farrelly said the problem also often “comes down to enforcement”.

While the Dublin region accounted for by far the highest number of infractions for parking on the pavement, the results were not uniform. The total of 243 penalties in northern region areas such as Blanchardstown and Finglas far outpaced the 67 recorded in the eastern division, suggesting the problem is more prevalent outside the city centre.

In terms of Munster counties, Kerry had by far the best record for the offence, with just 20 notices issued between January and June.

Last November the Irish Examiner reported that nearly half of all fines issued by Cork City traffic wardens were for parking infringements on MacCurtain Street. File picture: Dan Linehan

Connacht counties accounted for just 170 of the charges, while the northern border counties had less than 70 – suggesting that the problem is far more concentrated in the Munster and Leinster regions.

Last November, the Irish Examiner reported that nearly half of all fines issued by Cork City traffic wardens were for parking infringements on MacCurtain Street.

The city was responsible for 60% of the pavement-parking charges issued in the county at the start of 2025.